Centene Corp. is coming to the rescue of the Arizona prison system. The company is taking over as the new healthcare provider for the state’s penitentiary facilities through its subsidiary Centurion. But the big question is: Will Centene’s Centurion impress and play the role of an effective problem solver?
Centurion is coming in and will try to piece together a broken system that its predecessor failed to fix. The Arizona government awarded the contract to Centene following the miserable tenure of the previous provider Corizon. The latter saw negligence and incompetence under its watch, and one case resulted in the unfortunate demise of a patient.
The pressure is on Centene and Centurion to do better, but doubts are already arising that the new player is not up to the task.
Centurion’s Record Is Plain Uninspiring
Corizon was booted out on accusations of causing suffering to inmate patients. Centurion will be working to erase that memory by the healthcare provider is likewise guilty of monumental misdeeds.
The record shows Centurion’s brand of medical care is not something to boast about.
In Tennessee, a 2016 case revealed how the company mishandled a woman who was giving birth. It is now the subject of a lawsuit, and the filing showed that Centurion-approved personnel supervised a delivery procedure that was not sterile. A licensed obstetrician was supposed to be in charge during the entire episode, but not one qualified professional was present as the suit claimed.
It was hard to imagine that the same woman gave birth with the threat of infection highly possible, but the procedure happened as described in the legal documents. The poor mother went into labor without pain medication, and when the baby was delivered, the cloth used for wrapping was said to be unclean.
The horror continued when the baby’s umbilical cord was cut with the use of a non-sterile object. And all the tales told can be easily attributed to Centurion’s brand of care providing. In Mississippi, for instance, the company is likewise facing legal woes as prison inmates hurled accusations of negligence and indifference.
Now Centurion being characterized as insensitive is nothing new. The same lawsuit in Tennessee exposed the abysmal attitude of the nurses who attended to the woman’s delivery. As recalled by the patient, she was harassed with remarks of “faking” her suffering.
Whiff Of Corruption
It is interesting to note that Centene has been conducting its business with help from its network of friendly politicians. The giant insurer has been known to give generous contributions to high-placed government officials across the states where it is present. It’s the case in Florida, and the same in Mississippi, so possibly Centene is bringing the same tradition to its hometown, Arizona.
A closer look at Centene’s history, and that of Centurion, will show that it is hampered by negligence, incompetence, and corruption by paying hundreds of thousands to its political patrons. Arizona trusts Centene to offer solutions for its pestering prison problems, but the insurer appears to be swamped by its own pressing problems.
